slow 1 of 3

1
2
as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily we love our bulldog though he's a little slower than our German shepherd

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
4
as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest the first half of the movie is slow, but then it gets exciting

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

slow

2 of 3

verb

slow

3 of 3

adverb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word slow distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of slow are delay, detain, retard, and slacken. While all these words mean "to cause to be late or behind in movement or progress," slow and slacken also imply a reduction of speed, slow often suggesting deliberate intention.

medication slowed the patient's heart rate

In what contexts can delay take the place of slow?

In some situations, the words delay and slow are roughly equivalent. However, delay implies a holding back, usually by interference, from completion or arrival.

bad weather delayed our arrival

When would detain be a good substitute for slow?

The meanings of detain and slow largely overlap; however, detain implies a holding back beyond a reasonable or appointed time.

unexpected business had detained her

Where would retard be a reasonable alternative to slow?

While in some cases nearly identical to slow, retard suggests reduction of speed without actual stopping.

language barriers retarded their progress

When can slacken be used instead of slow?

The synonyms slacken and slow are sometimes interchangeable, but slacken suggests an easing up or relaxing of power or effort.

on hot days runners slacken their pace

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of slow
Adjective
Kathya still tears up talking about Katy’s ordeal, the slow road to recovery and how their lives were shattered that evening, a day that had begun with joy, a celebration with her best friends, many of whom grew up on the waterways in Coral Gables and Coconut Grove. David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2025 Directed by the Austrian pair Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, The Lodge is a slow-burn genre exercise that exerts the pressure of a steel vise. Emma Specter, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
Because of this, local officials are encouraging drivers to drive more slowly and with much more caution through mating season, which typically slows down towards the end of November into December. Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025 Cell therapies are the other new approach to slowing or reversing type 1 diabetes. Tara Haelle, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
Adverb
While the media industry watches the once massive number of subscribers to cable and satellite services diminish like a slow-melting iceberg as audiences move to streaming, the companies are aggressively developing ways to slow the trend and perhaps win some business back. Tribune News Service, Boston Herald, 18 Oct. 2025 Even at their best, festivals can be full of gloomy, slow-moving, introspective dramas — setting a del Toro monster movie loose in those environs ought to have shaken audiences out of their seats. Joe Reid, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for slow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slow
Adjective
  • The best way to begin your excursion is with a leisurely stroll around the village’s 19th-century cemetery, where The Legend of Sleepy Hollow author Washington Irving is buried.
    Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025
  • It all still gets done, but at a more leisurely pace.
    Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • And, in one of the dumbest and most obviously racist postr taken by a presidential candidate, at some point Republicans became fixated on the idea that Haitian migrants were stealing pets for food in the Midwest.
    Sal Rodriguez, Oc Register, 18 Oct. 2025
  • After Johnson gave his answer to that resolutely dumb question, several other luminaries took a whack at the zeitgeist piñata.
    Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Those ticket sales were enough to lead an otherwise sleepy weekend at the domestic box office.
    Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Showgirl leads a sleepy top 10 on the latest Billboard 200, where no albums debut in the region.
    Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Anyone who suggests Guardiola’s title-winning Manchester City teams were boring should be forced to watch 90 minutes of Mourinho’s Chelsea versus Rafael Benitez’s Liverpool in the mid-2000s and report back.
    Oliver Kay, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • The details might be boring, but the gathering of money—searching gem dealers, gold dealers—was a full-time job.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Each trike benefits from a hydraulic brake at each wheel, with 180-mm rotors, and the rear lighting setup includes a braking tail-light plus turn signaling.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2025
  • But that happiness quickly took a turn when the mother quickly braked and stopped the vehicle, and sent him flying into the open area behind the driver's seat.
    Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
Adverb
  • Once Karloff slowly turns, Whale pushes the camera closer and closer to him in a series of cuts that thrust the viewer into the monster’s space — and which reveal the flawlessness of Pierce’s design in unblinking close-ups.
    Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Mark Jerome, who took over the program as executive director three years after the Lorch scandal broke, slowly built Riverside back to respectability between 2005 and 2015.
    Luke Cyphers, Sportico.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But, God, to be able to play a Pablo Escobar who was just petty and wanted friends, there was something so stupid and so hilarious about that to me.
    Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Keaton continued to play oddballs with a peculiar way of talking, though none were trivial or stupid.
    Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • One was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was declared deceased after being taken to a local hospital, per the outlets.
    Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Orchids need more of a trim to remove dead or spent leaves and flowers to prevent diseases and pests, maintain size, and encourage new blooms.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 19 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Slow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slow. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.

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